Fay Miller

Julia Fay (Ramey) Miller passed away peacefully at home on February 16, 2021.

She was a dedicated mother, grandmother, and teacher who cherished family and friends.  She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Jerry Reid and Jane Harris Miller of Forest Hill, MD, and daughters, Mary Ann Miller and Martha Susan Miller of the home, and her two grandsons, Andrew Miller of Los Angeles, CA and Benjamin Miller of Ocala, FL.  She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Horace Friedman, and sister-in-law, Nell Bare.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald Grissom Miller, her brother, Joe Ernest Ramey, and her sisters, Nita Kilgore, Mary Lawson, Edith Ramey, June Wolfe, Eloise Friedman, and Nancy Ahearn.

Fay was born in Coeburn, VA on April 3rd, 1929.  In August of 1944, Fay, her sister Nancy, and their parents moved to Tennessee where her father began a new job at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  In a new school, Fay found her teachers and fellow students had come from many states and academic standards were high.  With much studying and burning the midnight oil, Fay excelled and was tapped into the Honor Society before graduating in 1947.  She worked a year before entering Berea College in Berea, KY.  In the beginning her studies were focused on science.  Then her classmate, Dorothy Alexander, turned Fay’s interests to teaching.  She would earn a B.A. in Education. She met her future husband, Gerald Grissom Miller, her senior year. They were married in December 1952 and had three children. Fay began teaching in 1965 and retired from Welcome Elementary School in December 1991.  During her retirement years, Fay belonged to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church where she enjoyed helping with the Altar Guild.  Fay enjoyed being a volunteer at Lexington Hospital and making quilts which she shared with her family.  She also kept perennial gardens.  Neighbors would stop by to enjoy her flowers and if lucky, get some of her plantings.  Fay was happy to share any gardening secrets she had - always the teacher.  Fay travelled a lot and enjoyed frequent trips to Maryland to visit her son’s family.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Davidson County, 200 Hospice Way, Lexington, NC, 27292 or to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, PO Box 1119, Welcome, NC, 27374. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-